Leverage is Revenge
by CollieandShire
Summary: 3rd story in my Elise Burke series. Elise is now five years old and is the pride of Peter and Elizabeth's life, as well as 'uncle Neal'. But an enemy from the past can turn anyone's dream life into a nightmare- especially when you know that person has no intention of letting your daughter live. Rated T because of some violence.
1. Return

_I'm back with the new story! Horray! :) Yes, I know I promised it like two months ago, but I didn't want to post it until I sat down, planned it and wrote the whole thing. So here you go fans of Peter Burke having a daughter, I hope you like it!  
_

_This story is hereby dedicated to all of the readers who encouraged me to write it! That would be:_

_The M.H.T. of R_

_Wondo_

_caseylf123_

_last1standing_

_pechika_

_Your encouragement in the previous stories and your comments about looking forward to the next one made sure I would not forget to write it! So enjoy!_

_ I hope this lives up to your (the reader's) expectations, I will warn you that I have been currently attempting *scary music* the short story, which means I am containing myself from dragging things out too long and this was an attempt at writing a thriller/action story in six chapters or less. So hopefully even though I cut some details out it will still be good. _

_Thanks for reading and please review! Thank you!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter One_

Return

Neal yawned as he glanced at the clock on the far right wall next to the picture of the President. He was bored. _Correction, _he grinned, _I'm bored to death!_

Sitting in the conference room with FBI agents Jones, Frank, Harris, Natalie and Peter, Neal wished this meeting would end. _We've already gone half an hour overtime!_

"Now if we plan on catching this real-estate fraud in the act then we need to come up with a good plan." Peter was saying, and Neal yawned again. _Things can't get any quieter than this_.

"Neal, do you have any suggestions?"

Neal glanced at Peter and gave him a look, to which Peter responded with a slight grin. Peter knew very well Neal hated these fraud cases and would rather do _anything _else.

"I'm not an expert in this area, I'm sure Jones has a much better suggestion than I do." Neal offered with a sneer. The room erupted with chuckles, and Harris slapped Neal on the back.

"Does this mean you weren't listening again, Neal?" Jones laughed.

Before Neal could think of a smart-alecky reply there was a rap at the door of the conference room. All eyes turned to the clear glass door and beheld agent Jerold standing there, shifting his weight as he glanced around the room.

"I have some important news for Burke." He cleared his throat, eyeing Peter and hoping he wasn't in trouble for interrupting.

"Thanks Jerold, you can set it on my desk and I'll read it after we're done here." Peter told him, gesturing for Jerold to leave the room.

Jerold nodded and exited, leaving the group to finish up their business.

"Now as we were discussing before Neal let us all know he wasn't listening…" Peter winked and Neal groaned as the rest of the agents in the room once more began to laugh. _This is going to be a long afternoon._

~oOo~

Five-year-old Elise was sitting at the kitchen table, working hard on the red hair of the girl she was drawing. _There, now she looks like me! _Elise held the picture up in the light and smiled. That would do.

"Mommy! Mommy look what I drew!" Elise called, leaping from the chair and racing towards the kitchen.

Elizabeth was busy washing dishes from lunch, but paused to look at her daughter's latest creation. "Why its so pretty Elise!" El praised, looking at the scribbling of her daughter. A stick figure with red hair that El assumed was Elise stood on top of a black object that El was _not _sure of what it was. "I especially like your-" El began and paused, knowing Elise would fill in the blank.

"That's my horse!" Elise exclaimed proudly. "See!"

El nodded and patted Elise on the head. "It's so beautiful Elise, I'll put it up on the fridge with the rest of your drawings."

Taking the picture from the little redhead, El put the new masterpiece on the refrigerator with an assortment of colorful animals and people. "There!" she announced.

"It's perfect." Elise agreed. She turned around ran out of the kitchen. "Now I'm going to make one about Daddy catching bad guys!" she called behind her as she disappeared around the corner wall that led into the dining room.

"Okay, but make sure those bad guys aren't too scary or I'll be scared." El told her.

A serious voice that nearly made El laugh replied, "I won't mommy, I don't want to scare you."

El sighed a happy sigh and looked at the photograph above the kitchen sink. It was of her, Peter and Elise at Central Park building a snowman. Peter was holding Elise up and helping her put a carrot in the snowman's head while El put on the snowman's hat. All of them had turned and smiled at the camera and the look of joy and excitement on Elise's face was priceless.

El loved her family, she had truly been blessed with a wonderful and caring husband and a thoughtful and lively daughter. Though the change from a working and ambitious career to a stay-home mom had been a struggle five years ago, El couldn't think of anything she'd rather do than raise hers and Peter's child. _It could not get any better. _She decided.

It had been a change for all of them, but the best kind of change. Peter and El became closer, Neal more and more a part of the family and Mozzie, yes, even Mozzie, found a place in their oddball family circle. All because of the then baby Elise.

Five years later found Elise the center of attention, her favorite place to be. Neal and Mozzie practically lived at the Burke residence and the truth was El and Peter didn't mind. When they needed time alone they had two very willing babysitters that they knew and trust, though Peter was a little skeptical with the skills they were teaching Elise.

The phone rang, and the scraping of the chair being shoved back told El that Elise had gotten down to answer it. "Hello? Daddy?" the little girl's voice asked eagerly.

"Elise!" El chided as she rounded the corner into the dining room.

"I mean, hello this is the Burkes, who's calling please?" Elise said, glancing at her mother for approval.

El nodded to show that was the _right _way to answer the phone.

A frown crept across Elise's freckled face and she sighed. "It's the neighbor down the street, Nancy." She mumbled, handing the phone to Elizabeth.

"Elise, that's not polite."

"I'm sorry. I thought it was Daddy." Elise climbed back into her chair and began coloring once more.

"Hi Nancy, sorry about Elise, she thought it was her father." El chuckled, glancing at the table where Elise continued to color.

"Elizabeth, I need you to come here right now."

El frowned. Nancy's voice was shaky, as if she were afraid. "Nancy, are you alright?"

"Please Elizabeth, please come _now_. I need you, I'm not feeling good."

"I'll be right over." Elizabeth promised, hanging up the phone and grabbing her coat. It was a windy October day and quite chilly outside.

El glanced at Elise and then at the door. _Nancy only lives ten houses down. I shouldn't be gone that long. Besides, she sounds like she's sick, I don't want to expose Elise to anything. _Her mind was made up. She'd left Elise home alone for fifteen minutes before, she was confident that she wouldn't be any longer than that.

"Elise, I'm going to Nancy's for a minute. Stay here and be a good girl, okay?" El instructed.

Elise glanced up at El and nodded. "Okay. I'm working on Daddy's picture right now. But I think to finish it I will need ice-cream. Can you get ice-cream?"

Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. "Your Daddy has been spoiling you! No, no ice-cream today."

"Bye Mommy!" Elise called out.

El bade her daughter goodbye and shut the door, hurrying down the street.

~oOo~

He lit a cigarette and watched as Mrs. Burke left the house. _Now or never. _He thought, standing straight from the telephone pole he'd been leaning against.

With a very noticeable limp he walked across the street and towards the Burke residence. The limp only served him as a reminder as to _why _he was here. _He will pay. I will make him and Neal pay for everything they've done to me. _He growled, pulling out a lock pick as he slipped behind the house and into the backyard. _No sense letting the neighbors get a good view of me. _He may have wanted to make a statement to Peter, but he didn't want to make a statement to the whole neighborhood.

When he got to the back door he inserted the lock picking device through the keyhole and felt around for a second. After a couple of seconds a resounding _click_ let him know he'd succeeded in unlocking the door. _Stage one. _

Opening the door he slipped in and shut it, pulling on some thick gloves. _Now for stage two. _There right in front of him lay a very old Satchemo, who barely raised his head at the door. At the sight of the man though, the hairs on Satchemo's neck raised up and he growled.

"Hey there fella, remember me?" he cracked a grin as he stepped towards the dog. "Last time I saw you was six years ago, I'm surprised yer still around."

Satchemo stood up, all of his hairs down his back now raised as he continued to growl savagely, as if to say _I know who you are! You're the man who made my master scared! _

Slowly and carefully, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a drugged dog treat. "Here boy, this is for you. Come on, come and get it."

Holding the treat temptingly in front of the dog, Satchemo's ears went up and he sniffed the treat. The old lab stepped forward and grabbed the treat, gulping it down.

He stood and watched as it took all of one minute for the drugs to begin to work, and Satchemo began to stumble around.

"Good dog." He chuckled. _Stage two complete. _Now came the waiting part. _Mrs. Burke should be here soon, after she's called the police about that Nancy gal. _He glanced at the clock and decided he had time to go and see what sort of foods there were to raid in the fridge.

By this time poor Satchemo lay sprawled on the floor asleep, the drugs having taken their toll on the old dog. He stepped over the lab and limped into the kitchen and towards the refrigerator-and stopped. _What on earth? _This was new.

The refrigerator was covered with colorful artwork that either indicated Peter and Elizabeth were really bad artists-or a child had done them. Deciding that it was highly unlikely the Burkes engaged in scribbling, he glanced around the rest of the kitchen to see if anything else could aid him in a conclusion as to who the mystery child was.

Right above the kitchen sink hung a picture of Peter and Elizabeth, along with-_you've got to be kiddin' me. _He thought as he stared at the picture. _How did I miss this?_

A small child, probably four years old or so smiled back at him. At first he wondered if she was adopted, but the look in her eyes told him that she was most certainly related to Peter. _Those same intense eyes that are always looking for answers. _

"What are you doing in my kitchen?"

With a start he whipped out a gun and whirled around, the same kid from the photo standing in front of him. The girl stared at him with big blue eyes, her head titled as she studied him.

"Don't scare me kid, I could have shot you." He snapped, putting the gun back as he rubbed his hands together. _This aughta be way easier than kidnapping Burke's wife! _

"That's not nice to shoot people." She told him, crossing her arms and glaring at him indignantly. "Daddy said so."

"Oh, and your Daddy is Peter Burke, isn't he?" he asked nonchalantly, leaning against the counter as he eyed the child. _I wonder how much screaming she'd do if I grabbed her right now?_

"Yep, he's an FBI agent!" she announced proudly. "Are _you _an FBI agent?" this last question was directed a little airily, and he had to laugh.

"Sure kid, whatever you say." He chuckled. "What's your name?"

"Well," Elise hesitated and looked him over again. "Daddy says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

It was hard for him not to burst out laughing right then and there, but he managed to suppress his hoots and only let out another chuckle. "Well, I'm not a stranger. Yer Daddy knows me _real _well."

"Oh, okay then. I'm Elise." She told him, holding out her hand. Amused, he accepted her friendly gesture and shook her hand. "And what's your name?" she asked. _Well, you got the stranger part right kid, but it looks like Burke hasn't taught you not to believe everything someone says. _He thought. Why, she wasn't even afraid of him!

Once more a hard-suppressed snort came out of his mouth as he bent down to eye level with Elise. "I'm Matthew Keller, and let me tell you something Elise, you just made my day a _lot _easier."

* * *

_DadadaDA! (Scary music, for those of you who can't read my mind. ;D) Keller is BACK! Okay, disclaimer here, I have not seen ONE episode from the fourth season of WC because Netflix is taking FOREVER to load them. So if there is any mention in the fourth season about what became of Keller please remember I have not seen it and I don't know what happens. :)  
_

_See you at the next chapter, which I will post after receiving two reviews. :) Motivator for those of you who want to read more! :D_

_-Shire_


	2. The Call

_I'm back!_

_Thank you nycwc and dinosonzii for the reviews! I REALLY appreciate it a lot. :) As all writers know, reviews are the highlight of a fanfiction writer's career. :)_

_Thank you staupe, pechika, alicesmartt13 and dinosonzii for following, glad to know that I have readers who want more story! :)_

_And thanks to alicesmartt13 for favoriting, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!_

_Okidoki, here's the next chapter!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

Chapter Two

_The Call_

"You know Neal, if you'd just paid attention we could have been done earlier." Peter remarked as he and Neal made their way to Peter's office. "You're like the little kid in school who can't sit still."

"Well if I'm the little kid who can't sit still then you're the boring teacher who has absolutely no style or gift in teaching." Neal shot back. Peter glared at his CI and Neal broke into a grin. "What?"

"You're incorrigible." He muttered, sitting down at his desk and grabbing the first stack of papers his eyes caught sight of.

"I'm serious, if you would just tune up your teaching style things would be _way_ more interesting." Neal sat down in the chair across from Peter and folded his hands. Peter looked up from the paper and narrowed his eyes at Neal.  
"What are you suggesting? I go to some class that teaches me how to give a briefing better?"

"Or you can try and become a certified preschool teacher, I'm sure that would give you some pointers."

Peter shook his head with a sigh and Neal chuckled. "You know someday I'm really going to let you…" Peter's voice trailed off as he read the paper in his hands. Neal watched as his friend's eyes widened and his mouth open.

"What, what is it?" Neal demanded, his heart beginning to race. _I hope that's not a complaint about Mozzie's and my not-so-legal entering of that-_

"This is bad. This is _really, really _bad." Peter croaked. He sat there in silence for a second while Neal gripped the armrests of his chair, the possibilities racing through his head as he tried to think of every possible scenario.

Jumping into action and startling Neal, Peter leapt up and grabbed the phone, punching in a phone number. "I can't believe they didn't tell me this until now!" he snarled, and Neal noted his hands were trembling as he held the phone to his ear.

"Peter, what's-" Neal stammered as he stood up, but Peter put up his hand to silence him.

"No answer. No answer!" Peter slammed the phone down, then with a change of mind picked it up again and redialed. "They're-they're probably out in the yard and couldn't get to the phone in time." He said to himself.

Neal stiffened. _They_? That could mean only one thing; Peter was trying to reach Elizabeth and Elise, the loves of his life. El was his wife of sixteen years and Elise was his mischievous five-year-old daughter. _What's going on that he has to reach them right away?_ Something was terribly wrong and Peter was worried about his family.

Glancing down at the papers Peter had been reading, Neal picked them up and scanned them over. _On Wednesday of this week Matthew Keller escaped from state prison -_ "And has not been located or caught yet!" Neal exclaimed.

Peter nodded grimly as he drummed his fingers on the desk. "Still no answer from home. I'm going to try El's cell phone."

Suddenly it all made sense. _Of course! _What had Keller said to Peter when Peter had stepped in and saved Neal after Keller had tried to kill him? _I'll get your wife again Burke, I'll get her again and again until I get what I want! _

"Peter, you don't think he will-he will go after El, do you?" Neal cleared his throat and glanced at his good friend.

Peter was near a state of panic, he could only manage a nod. He began to pace the office as he listened to the phone continue to ring. "Neal, if he's the same Keller we sent to jail six years ago he's not going to stop until he gets his revenge. I have a daughter now. Can you imagine what he'll do when he realizes I have a daughter?" Peter's voice cracked, and he looked away from Neal. "Why didn't they tell me sooner? I could have sent El and Elise over to El's parents if I'd only known! _Why isn't El answering the phone!_"

"If it keeps on ringing that means she's on it, Peter."

"I know that." Peter snapped.

"But that means she's okay." Neal pointed out.

Peter visibly relaxed a little and nodded his head slightly. "You're right Neal, I'm getting myself worked up about nothing. It's nothing, it's nothing at all. Nothing's wrong." Peter sighed and hung up the phone, melting into his office chair as he stared at his two coffee mugs. One said _World's Greatest FBI Agent_ and the other said _World's Greatest Dad. _El had bought him the first one and Elise had picked out the second one for Christmas this past year.

Neal stood there with his hands in his pockets. "I'm sure everything's fine. Keller would be a mad man to come back to New York." Neal consoled.

Peter nodded again and continued to stare at the coffee mugs.

_Brrriiinnnggg! _Peter's cell phone went off. Half a second hadn't even gone by before he had the phone to his ear and he'd pressed talk.

"Hello? El, is that you?"

"Peter!" Neal could hear El's voice clearly on the other end and she was distressed. _Oh no._

"El what's wrong?" Peter demanded, rising from the chair again. "What's going on? Where are you? Are you and Elise okay?"

"Peter! I've been trying to reach you for the last five minutes but your phone was busy!"

_So El was trying to call Peter while Peter was trying to call El. _Neal figured out.

"Peter, I went to the neighbor's house because she called and when I got there she was tied up and gagged! I called the police and untied Nancy and she told me a short man with a limp had forced her to call me and then tied her up."

_Oh no, dear God no! _Neal prayed silently. A short man. Keller was short. _That doesn't mean it was him! _Neal chided himself as he glanced up at Peter's ashen face.

"Where's Elise, El?" Peter croaked.

"That's just it Peter! I left Elise by herself because I thought I'd only be gone for a minute, but when Nancy told me what happened I ran home right away. Peter, Elise is _gone_!"

~oOo~

Peter sat on the couch with El in his arms as she sobbed into his shirt. Tears rolled down his own face, but he kept pushing them back. He needed to be strong for his wife right now, no use for him to get emotional.

Thoughts raced around his head. Anger at the prison for not letting him know sooner, relief that his wife was alright and terror for his daughter. Gone. She was gone. _And to top it off Keller went and poisoned my dog, too! _Satchemo was at the vet in bad condition, Keller obviously having fed him something to knock him out. The vets weren't sure if he'd make it or not, but right now that was the least of Peter's worries. Keller had kidnapped his daughter and no doubt had every intent of killing her.

Peter glanced over at the team of specialists scouring the house for evidence and clues, checking everything from the counter to the dog food. Jones and Neal were examining the drawing and the note over again. The picture and the words would forever be etched on Peter's heart as they pounded against his head over and over.

Elise had apparently been working on a picture for him, drawing a funny looking stick figure with a smiley face and a badge tying up what Peter guessed to be a bad guy. The picture was unfinished though, and a rough hand had written in the blank spot next to it:

_You've got a budding artist here, Burke. She might amount to something someday if you fork over six million bucks. I figure since I'm going to kill you anyways might as well make some money out of it, too. She's a funny thing, your Elise is. Let me tell you, she's the first person I've kidnapped that isn't even afraid of me! Don't make me do anything to her that will make her afraid. You'll be getting a call from me shortly. Keep your fed friends out of it. Say hi to Neal._

Each sarcastic word made Peter want to shoot Keller in the face a thousand times. But reason told him that if he did so there wouldn't be anything left of the monster to put on trial. _Why? Why is he doing this to me? Why must he take what means so much to us! _He had to get his daughter back. He didn't know how or what he'd have to do, all he knew was that it was going to be ten times harder than the last time he dealt with Keller. They couldn't save her the same way they saved El. Keller was too smart for that-he was going to make Peter pay. One way or another he was going to do something to get his revenge. All Peter could think about was how to save Elise from being the object of Keller's wrath.

~oOo~

Elise sat in front of a TV as she watched her favorite show _Winnie the Pooh. _Keller glanced at the kid and shook his head.

"You know, only bad kids watch that." He joked, leaning against the wall as he pulled out a knife and began to sharpen it.

"They do not!" Elise turned her head and glared at him. "Daddy used to watch Winnie the Pooh."

"Winnie the Pooh is evil." Keller countered, grinning at the kid's indignant attitude. "I should know, I used to watch it."

"But Daddy watched it too!" the redhead pointed out. "And _he's _not evil. I thought you were an agent anyways. Agents aren't bad."

Keller rolled his eyes. "Well obviously your dad was lyin', because only bad kids watch Winnie the Pooh. All the good kids watch _Happy Tree Friends_. And no, I'm not an agent. That was a lie."

Elise didn't seem to hear that last part, all she could focus on was that Keller had just called her daddy a liar. "My Daddy doesn't lie, and I like Winnie the Pooh, so if you don't like it you don't have to watch it!" she sniffed, sticking her nose in the air.

"Man, you've got attitude." Keller laughed, putting his knife away and pulling out his phone. "Your Daddy spoils you, doesn't he?"

"That's what Mommy said, but I'm trying not to be spoiled. It's not nice to be spoiled." Elise admitted. She turned back to the TV and continued to watch her show.

Keller shook his head and chuckled. _This is the weirdest kidnapping I've ever done. _He thought. She hadn't even argued when he'd told her she was coming with him-she'd taken his hand and chattered the whole way to the car about how she loved car rides and kept asking where they were going. Keller almost felt humiliated, like he'd been cheated out of a really good authentic kidnapping with the yelling and the tying up and the gagging of the victim. But then he reminded himself this was quite a bit easier than the latter and decided to be happy Elise was so trusting, especially since his left leg had been so bummed up when Neal shot him.

Keller punched in Burke's cell phone number from memory and held the receiver to his ear, glancing once more at the little girl. He noted with a smile she'd changed the channel on account of him telling her Winnie the Pooh was evil. _She's a funny kid. _He thought. _It's a shame I'll have to kill her. _

* * *

_Ack! Keller really DOES intend to kill her, this is not going so well._

_Thanks for reading and please review! I really, really, REALLY love reviews! :) And my stats tell me I have a lot of readers. :) So you readers out there, review! :D Thank you!_

_-Shire_


	3. Bargain

_WOW! You readers are amazing! Thank you SOOOO much for all the reviews, favorites and follows! I was so excited! So here's the next chapter!_

_Thank you The M.H.T of R, alicesmartt13, pechika, MarJan53, last1standing, nycwc and tinii for the awesome reviews! I was so excited and happy, you all are the best. :D I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far and took the time to review and let me know what your thoughts were. Thank you!_

_Thank you HexRose, The M.H.T of R, x-thebill-x, last1standing and jazzmonkey for following, I really appreciate that you want to read this enough you are following. Thank you so much!_

_And thanks to Mercede216 for favoriting, I'm so glad you liked it enough to favorite!_

_And now, onto the next chapter! Thanks for reading and please review!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

Chapter Three

_Bargain_

When the call came it found Peter pacing the living room and El on the couch. Jones and the rest of the team had gone back to the office with strict orders from Peter not to tell anyone about what had happened. "Keller's a man of his word when he feels like it, he'll kill her if he even suspects the FBI's involved." Peter had warned. Only Neal had stayed behind with the Burkes to await the dreaded call.

And it came.

_Brrriiinnnggg! Brrriiinnnggg!_ The phone rang out. _Unknown number._ Peter glanced at El and then hit speakerphone, knowing that no matter what the news El would want to hear it. Neal shoved his hands in his pockets to hide the fact he was trembling, and El held her breath.

"Keller." Peter managed not to shout, clutching the phone until his knuckles turned white.

"How'd you know it was me?" Keller laughed on the other end. He was in a good mood.

El opened her mouth to say something and Peter shook his head. This was no time to tell off Keller. He was holding all the cards.

"Where is my daughter?" Peter demanded, his teeth gritted as he took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Now why would I tell you that? After all these years and you still ask me stupid questions."

"Keller, cut to the chase. I want to know my daughter is alive."

"We both do!" El snapped.

"Oh, you've got your wife on the line too." Keller chuckled. "I'm guessing Neal's there also?"

"I'm here Keller." Neal growled. "Where is Elise?"

"I thought it was so cute Elise calls ya Uncle Neal. I see you've moseyed your way into the family, huh?"

Keller was taunting them, baiting them to react. Peter knew if they did though, he'd just do something to Elise to spite them.

"What have you done with _my daughter!_" Peter's voice thundered, causing Neal to jolt. He'd _never _heard Peter talk like that, and he'd heard Peter say and do a lot of things.

"She's right here Burke." Keller snickered. "Sitting and watching TV. Actually, she wants to talk to you."

"Let us talk to our daughter!" El begged, standing next to Peter. Peter slipped an arm around his wife and held her close.

Keller didn't say anything for a second, then told them, "You're on speaker, so whatever you want to say to Elise I can hear too."

"Daddy?" Elise's voice came across clear as a bell, calm and happy.

"Elise." Peter whispered hoarsely.

"Oh Elise, are you alright?" El sobbed.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Suddenly Elise didn't sound so calm, and Peter glanced at Neal. Neal nodded and came over to El while Peter switched it off of speaker phone.

"El, Peter's going to talk to Elise, if you cry you're only going to scare her." Neal told Elizabeth as he gently pulled her away from Peter and led her to the porch outside. "It's for her that we're doing this. She's okay, Keller's not done anything to her. She's happy and she doesn't understand what's going on. We want to keep it that way, okay?"

Peter thanked God that Neal was with him and El right now and that he knew what to do. He turned his concentration back to Elise and said, "Elise, your Mom's had a rough day today. She's very tired and not feeling good, okay?"

"O-okay." Elise sounded doubtful, but nevertheless trusting. "Daddy, is Winnie the Pooh evil?"

"What?" Peter asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

On the other end of the line he heard Keller began to laugh and Peter clenched his fist. _I want to punch that guy so bad right now. _

"Your friend Keller said that Winnie the Pooh is evil and that only bad kids watched Winnie the Pooh, and that you were lying when you said you watched Winnie the Pooh when you were a kid because you're not bad. But that's not true, is it?"

Now Keller was roaring with laughter and Peter had to hold the phone away for a minute so as not to say something he'd regret. "Keller's wrong honey, okay? Winnie the Pooh is not evil."

"See!" Elise announced proudly. "I told you!"

"Sure, whatever kid." Keller chuckled. "Tell your Dad goodbye."

"Bye Daddy." Elise said. "What time are you picking me up? Mommy was going to order pizza tonight and I don't want to miss it. She's getting pepperoni!"

Her words wrenched his heart and Peter had to steady himself. She had no idea what danger she was in, and yet he knew he had to keep it that way and play along. "I'll come for you as soon as I can, okay? You be nice to Keller, you hear? Don't be naughty."

"I won't. See you later! Bye!"

The phone beeped as Keller turned off speaker phone. "I'm tellin' ya Burke, you've got quite the charmer there."

"Keller, I will get you whatever you want whenever you want it as long as you promise not to hurt my daughter." Peter snarled.

"Touchy." Keller commented. "She's having fun, aren't you Elise?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to miss out on that pizza!" Peter could hear Elise call out faintly.

"You see? You just play by my rules and everything will go just fine, Burke." Keller chuckled again. "I told you what I wanted on the note-six million dollars. I want six million dollars in seven hours and I want to see _you _personally. That should be easy to remember, right? Oh, and I want the six million in cash. You're to bring it to the big water fountain in Central Park. You know which one I'm talking about? The one next to that big oak tree with yours and Elizabeth's names carved in it?"

Peter inhaled and exhaled deeply to control his burning anger. Leave it to Keller to find a meeting place that also served as a jeer. "I know where it is."

"Good. Meet me there in seven hours at eight o'clock and we'll straighten this whole thing out."

"How do I know you aren't going to kill _my daughter _as soon as you have the money? Where will Elise be when I meet you?" Peter demanded.

"You don't know Peter. Guess you're gonna have to find out how this story ends by coming."

With that Keller hung up, leaving Peter standing there and a feeling of hopelessness settling over him.

~oOo~

_Only three hours to go. _Keller thought, glancing up at the clock from the laptop he was browsing flights with.

"Hey I'm hungry, can I have something to eat?"

Keller looked down at the redheaded girl and rolled his eyes. _I'm never going to get used to this. _He leaned against his chair and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you said you were learnin' manners." He teased.

Elise sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine." She mumbled. "Dearest Keller I'm on the brink of starving to death, may I _please _have something to eat?"

With a roar Keller slapped his knee and shook his head. "You're something else kid, you know that? Where did you learn that?"

"Neal taught me!" she announced proudly.

At the mention of Neal's name Keller's grin turned into a frown. "Oh he did, huh? What else is he teaching you?"

Elise climbed into the chair next to Keller's as she began to chatter. "Well, when Mozzie and him babysit me we play monopoly, which I think is stupid because I can't even read and Neal always wins. I think they mostly play it because they want to. Sometimes we take Satchemo for a walk, and then when we get back to the house we make hot chocolate and lots and lots of marshmallows. Oh! And Neal's been teaching me how to pick a lock and how to chagrin people-"

"Charm." Keller interrupted. "It's charm, not _chagrin_."

"Okay, charm people." Elise repeated. "Anyways he and Mozzie were also teaching me how to pickpocket and how to make coins disappear and reappear and-and, lots of stuff. I don't think Daddy likes it that much though because he doesn't want me to be dish honest, which how can you be honest as a dish? That doesn't make any sense to me, but Mommy says that I need to obey Daddy…"

From the sounds of it Keller figured he was in for a long talk, something he didn't really care to engage in right now. "That's great kid, now go do something else."

"Uhh, okay." She hesitated as she glanced around the room in search of whatever she wanted at that second. "Uhm, why doesn't this hotel room have a refrigerator? Where do you keep your food? I'm still hungry, just so you know."

"There's no refrigerator because this is not a hotel room, this is an apartment." He mumbled, clicking on another flight and reading the details. "Now shut up."

"Ooo, you said the bad word, Daddy doesn't even let _Neal _say that around me." Elise announced. "He says it's _very _disrespectful."

"Enough!" He snapped, slamming his fist on the table. Elise jumped a little and then glared at him.

"That's not nice to yell." She chided.

"I don't care, go do something else." Keller growled. He was beginning to get impatient with this non-stop chatterbox and had to control himself from doing anything. _The time will come soon where I can get rid of her and Burke, and then I'll get Neal. Yes, I'll get my money and I'll get my revenge. _"Now go on before I lock you in the closet."

Elise's eyes widened and she climbed down from the chair. "Okay, I'm going." She ran over to the TV and flopped down. "But just so you know, I'm still hungry and there's no more kids shows on TV anymore. Only grownup stuff and Mommy says I can't watch grownup stuff because it's not 'propriate', whatever that means."

"Watch the weather." Keller grunted. "I'm sure you're allowed to watch _that_."

"B-oring." Elise sighed.

Keller had only turned halfway in his seat before she'd changed the channel to the weather station and smiled sweetly at him.

"You watch it." He warned, pointing a finger at her. "Don't make me do something your _Daddy _wouldn't like."

He turned back to the laptop and continued to pull up flights leaving for Romania.

Elise watched him work on the computer, a frown pulling at her smile. She didn't like that man too much. There was something about him that was not nice. _Oh well, Daddy's going to pick me up soon. _She decided, looking back at the colorful weather map on the television. _Then I'll tell him I don't like this babysitter that much. Neal's way better._

* * *

_If only Elise knew just WHO her babysitter was, then she'd have a couple things to change in her demeanor. _

_Actually, for those of you who haven't had the privilege of being around little kids (I'm from a family of nine kids and my adult siblings are getting married and having kids of their own, so I've had lots of time around little kids.) Elise is based off of three or four five-year-olds I babysit who actually act like this. I kid you not! I was shocked at how witty and smart they were, as well as naughty and yet so cute at the same time. I worked really hard to make sure Elise was smart as well as true to her age. So I'm hoping it came across okay. :)  
_

_Thanks for reading and please review! I was so pleased with how many reviews I received last time, can we keep that up? :D Thank you!_

_-Shire_


	4. Showdown

_I'm back again! Whohoo! Only one more chapter out of this, I was so proud of myself for finally writing a short story that came out pretty good. :)_

_Thank you peppe1951, nycwc, tinii and pechika for the reviews! You all make me so excited when I see new reviews on my story. :) _

_Thank you peppe1951 for following the story, I'm glad you're interested in knowing how it ends!_

_To tinii: Since you're a guest I can't send you a PM, so I'll just tell you here that I considered your suggestion about Neal. I write these stories out before I post them so it was already finished and ready to go, so I decided not to make that change. Thank you for the suggestion though, I appreciate your thoughts. :)_

_Okay, onto the next chapter! Thanks for reading and please review!_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

Chapter Four

_Showdown_

Peter checked his watch as he sat in a park bench next to the stone water fountain. _Eight o'clock. _The backpack next to him contained six million dollars in cash, money that Jones helped him get from the FBI confiscation account. Jones was actually in a tree about fifty yards from the fountain, while Neal hid in a trashcan near the walkway, about two hundred feet from where Peter now sat.

It had taken a lot of convincing to get El to stay behind. "The last thing we need is for Keller to have two hostages, El. I have to do this alone. I will have Jones and Neal there and we'll try to stop Keller if we possibly can." He'd told her.

El's tear-stained face made Peter want to shed tears of his own, yet he remained firm and manly. "Oh Peter, promise me she'll be okay."

Peter had looked down for a second before he returned to El's steady gaze. "I promise one way or another I'll get her out of this."

What he hadn't told her was that Keller really wanted _him _in exchange for Elise. He couldn't let this monster of a man kill his daughter and he knew that the only thing that would save his daughter was himself in exchange.

Peter had already told Jones and Neal what he planned to do, and Jones had absolutely refused to let Peter go alone. "I'm coming along and you can't stop me." He told Peter.

"I am too, Peter." Neal had agreed. "If at all possible we're going to catch Keller once and for all. We can't have this constantly happening to us and we won't let anything happen to you. We need you Peter, El and Elise need you."

That's when they'd decided on a plan-one they hoped would work but were ready if it didn't.

Once more Peter glanced at his watch just as someone whispered in his ear, "Agent Burke, I'm surprised to see you without any of your Fed friends around."

Peter stiffened as Keller laughed. Standing up the tall FBI agent turned to face Keller, controlling all thoughts of revenge right then and there. Keller walked from behind the park bench and stuck his hands in his suit pockets, grinning from ear to ear.

"You have a limp." Peter commented, gesturing to Keller's bad leg.

"I have Neal to thank for that, and after we're done here I'm going to go after him, too." Keller growled, his eyes flashing.

"Where is Elise, Keller?" Peter snarled, clenching his fists to control himself. _All I want to do right now is-_

"You want her? You have to come with me to get her." Keller shrugged, another grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I don't trust you Burke, I know you've got some plan goin' here to get your daughter back and land me in jail."

"I'm an FBI agent, what do you expect?" Peter retorted, knowing Keller better than to deny his suspicions. "But right now all I want is my daughter. I even brought the money, now _tell me where Elise is._"

"I found it interestin' no one ever told me you had a daughter." Keller continued, as if Peter hadn't said a word. "It'll be a shame if you had to lose her. Cute kid, actually. Though she talks _way _too much."

"Keller." Peter warned, his teeth gritted and his knuckles white.

Keller crossed his arms."I told you, you want your daughter you got to give me the six million _and_ come with me to get her back. I've got me a helper that's just itching to shoot this new gun of his."

_I don't remember Keller mentioning he had a partner. _Peter thought, but knowing that if he did have a partner it would only risk Elise's life to confront him about it.

"I have the money here." Peter tried, gesturing towards the backpack.

"Good, then come with me and we'll settle this once and for all." Keller growled. He was done playing games, he wanted what he wanted when he wanted it, and he wanted it _now_.

_Please Jones, tell me you were able to see what direction he came from. _Peter groaned inwardly. _Please tell me you watched and radioed in Harris. _

"Keller, if you want me that's fine. I'm willing to give myself up. I just want you to let my daughter go."

Keller raised an eyebrow, not bothering to hide his surprise. "You're willin' to give yourself up for your daughter? That's nice, but how do you know I'm not going to still kill her?"

"I don't." Peter shook his head with a sigh. "All I can hope is that you'll look inside yourself and see just what you're doing. Keller, killing is wrong no matter what, but are you _really _going to go through and kill a five-year-old _child_? A little girl whose only crime is that she's my daughter? Can't you see what you're doing? She's done nothing wrong!"

Peter held his breath, praying and hoping there was something still in Keller that could feel even the faintest spark of guilt at his wrongdoing.

Keller studied Peter, and then looked down at the ground. _Please, please let him let her go._

"Burke, I'll let your daughter go if you come with me." Keller stated, lifting his head up and looking Peter straight in the eye. "You come with me, and Elise goes free. Period. I only want you and Neal."

"Deal." Peter said, and Keller gestured for him to grab the backpack and fall in line.

"No tricks though Burke," Keller warned, "Or I'll make you pay."

"That goes for you, too." Peter glowered. "You gave me your word, I hope you've got at least the shred of decency to keep it."

Keller only laughed, and a chill ran down Peter's spine. He was trusting his daughter's life in a killer's hand, he only hoped that Keller really did have some good in him.

~oOo~

"_Harris, are you trailing them?"_Jones's strong and deep voice came across the earpiece.

Harris sat in a restaurant and watched as Peter and Keller got into a taxi. "I'm on it, but I'm afraid the short guy knows I'm watching."

"_You're probably right. Just try to stay out of sight and if you see him pull a gun then move in. For El's sake, don't let Keller kill Peter. I don't know if he's working with someone else this time, but if you have to shoot Keller than do it. We'll find Elise somehow, but if Keller gets both Elise and Peter then they're done for."_

"I understand." Harris replied. "I'll do whatever it takes."

~oOo~

Peter walked up the steps of the apartment building, Keller behind him. It never ceased to amaze Peter the kind of creative hideouts Keller came up with, and how well he chose them. _If he'd given me four more hours we probably would have found this. _Peter decided.

"Second door on the right." Keller grunted. "And don't try any funny business, I have my gun on you."

_Figures._ Peter walked up to the door and waited as Keller handed him a key and told him to unlock it. His hands began to tremble as he inserted the key and unlocked the door, putting his hand on the knob and opening the door. _Please, don't let him have already killed her and tricked me. Please._

"Daddy!" Elise sang out sweetly, running from where she'd been sitting at the TV. No one else was in sight and Peter quickly put together Keller had bluffed the partner. " Daddy! I'm so glad you came! Am I too late to have pizza with you and Mommy? I hope you saved me some, I'm really hungry!"

Peter opened his arms wide as Elise leapt into them and he gave her a big bear hug. "Oh Elise, I'm so glad you're safe." He choked, hugging the little redhead.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Elise asked, concerned.

Behind them the door shut and clicked as Keller locked it.

Peter turned around and held Elise in his arms as Keller pulled the gun out fully and then pulled out a silencer from his other pocket.

"I can't believe you came so willingly, Burke." Keller sneered as he screwed the silencer on the pistol.

"You said you'd let Elise go, you gave your word." Peter reminded him, trying to control his shaking voice. _Why did I think he would care about Elise? Jones and Neal, you'd better be somewhere nearby!_

"Look, I know your Fed friends were in the park, I saw 'em." Keller snickered, clicking off the safety of the gun.

"Daddy, I want to go home." Elise shuddered. "I don't like your friend Keller."

"It's alright Elise." Peter murmured, holding her close as he glared at Keller. "I won't let him hurt you."

"Yeah Elise," Keller mocked, chuckling, "He won't let me hurt you as long as he's alive."

"Keller, I demand you let my daughter go." Peter snarled, putting Elise down and shoving her behind him. "Stay back Elise."

Elise obeyed, her eyes wide as she clung to Peter's legs.

"Your FBI friends are on my tail, I know that." Keller snapped, cocking the gun and aiming it at Peter. "And I'm not leavin' until I kill you and get my money. I can always come back for Neal, without you he'll be an easy target. Who knows, perhaps I will let Elise go, after I use her to get me a ride out of the country. She makes a mighty good hostage, ain't no one going to deny me what I want when I hold this gun up to her pretty little head and threaten to-"

Peter had had enough, he wasn't going to stand for anymore of this. Without even thinking of what he was doing he leapt forward and knocked Keller to the ground. The gun fired and Peter felt a searing pain rip through his shoulder as he pinned Keller to the ground.

"Daddy!" Elise screamed, but it sounded far away as Peter struggled to keep Keller from firing the gun again.

"Elise, go!" he shouted, his eyes already clouding over as the pain took over like a sleeping pill.

"I'll kill you Burke!" Keller spat as he tried to aim the gun at Peter. "And after that I'll _kill your daughter, too!_"

The words gave Peter the last burst of energy he needed, with a roar he threw all his weight on Keller and shoved his arm down, knocking the gun clear across the room. His wound was draining his energy fast though, and he wasn't able to defend himself when Keller kicked him in the stomach and flung Peter off of himself.

Peter tried to scramble up but was too weak, Keller grabbed one of the chairs by the table and brought it down on his head with a _smack_! Elise cried out again as Peter collapsed to the floor, willing himself not to go unconscious.

"Don't hurt my Daddy again!" Elise shouted, and Peter could barely make out his daughter running towards the gun on the floor, Keller tearing after her in a race to get to the weapon first.

"Don't you even dare, kid!" Keller roared.

"No, Elise, no!" Peter moaned desperately, and despite his best efforts fell into a world of darkness as blood poured from the gun wound.

* * *

_Cliffhanger! Leave a review if you're curious about the ending, and thank you so much for reading! :)_

_-Shire_


	5. Conclusion

_And here's the last chapter! Whew, I was able to make a five chapter story! That's really hard for me to do, believe it or not. (Those of you who know me personally/have read my other stories understand what I mean. ;D)_

_Thank you peppe1951, nycwc, MarJan53, pechika and last1standing for the awesome reviews! I hope this next chapter will live up to your expectations. :)_

_Thank you adoptarescue and nycwc for following, I'm so glad you are interested enough to want to know what happens next. :)_

_And thank you nycwc and last1standing for favoriting, you flatter me. :D_

_Here's the last chapter! :D_

_-Shire from CollieandShire_

* * *

_Chapter Six_

El sniffed as she put a bunch of flowers on the gravesite, her eyes brimming with tears. Elise had tears in her eyes too, and hugged her mother tightly. Together they stared at the freshly dug up dirt and read the tombstone once more, sorrow wrenching their hearts as they continued to cry.

"I'll miss him so much Mommy." She sobbed. "Oh, why did he have to get hurt?"

"I know honey, I know." Elizabeth kneeled down and comforted the child, knowing that death and loss was hard for such a young child to understand. "No doubt he's up there in heaven as happy as can be."

Elise rubbed her eyes as the trauma and sorrow from the last couple of days continued to pour out. "Why did he have to die, Mommy?" Elise choked. "Why?"

"We all die someday Elise, some sooner or others." El whispered, holding her close. "What you have to do now is remember all the fun times you had with him."

"That mean Keller, if it weren't for him he'd still be alive!"

El stroked her daughter's hair and let her cry on her shirt, knowing that their sorrow would not pass easily.

Suddenly El felt a hand on her shoulder, a firm and gentle touch that El didn't have to look to know who it was.

Peter bent down and hugged both Elise and El. "Satchemo was a good dog, we'll always miss him." He comforted. "And your mom is right Elise, he would want you to remember all the fun you had with him."

"I will go home and draw a picture of him." Elise sniffed, rubbing her eyes again and looking up at her father. "I'll draw a picture about when I fell in water fountain and he splashed in it with me."

Peter chuckled and tussled her hair with his right hand and stood up straight, wincing when he accidentally moved his left arm a little. He was in a sling to make sure he didn't reopen his shoulder wound, and after spending three days in the hospital he aimed to make _sure _he didn't have to go back.

El stood up and kissed her husband, causing Elise to shyly look away.

"At least we didn't lose you too, Peter." El said softly, causing Peter to grin.

"Takes more than a bullet to kill me." He bragged, winking at Elise.

"Hey, I helped!" Elise said indignantly, her tears forgotten as she narrowed her eyes at her father.

Peter and Elizabeth laughed, much to Elise's embarrassment. "That you did Elise, I couldn't have done it without you." Peter agreed.

"I was very brave, that's what Neal told me." Elise announced. "He said if I hadn't grabbed that gun when I did Keller would have shot Daddy before Harris and Jones was able to get there."

"That's Mr. Harris and Mr. Jones, remember?" El scolded. "Where are your manners?"

"Sorry Mommy."

"And I don't want to talk about this anymore, even if you are brave. That was a very dangerous thing to do." El continued as she, Peter and Elise walked back up the lane of the pet cemetery towards where Neal and Mozzie were waiting. "Thank goodness Mr. Harris and Mr. Jones got in there when he did, Keller would have hurt you very badly, Elise. I'm so glad they've taken extra precautions to make sure he doesn't get out of prison again by sending him to that one in California."

"I don't think Keller will be bothering us again." Peter nodded in agreement. "And your mother is right Elise, you'd better thank God that you weren't hurt when you'd grabbed the gun."

"I won't do it again, I promise." Elise told them.

"You'd better not do it again!" Peter exclaimed. "I don't plan on letting you or your mother get kidnapped again!"

"I see you're no longer talking about the dog." Neal commented as they approached the car. He and Mozzie had been asked to wait while the Burkes paid their respects to the old family pet.

"I was telling mom how you said I was brave, but we're not talking about it anymore in case I get kidnapped again." Elise explained.  
"What?" Neal asked, confused.

Peter and Elizabeth began laughing, and soon Neal and Mozzie joined in.

"What? What's so funny?" Elise demanded.

Peter bent down and hugged his daughter, still laughing. "Nothing sweetheart. We're just so glad we're all back together."

And that was something they _all _agreed on.

_The End_

* * *

_I'd like to write a special thanks to my dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has blessed me these last couple of weeks beyond my wildest dreams. He's blessed me with an imagiation, He's blessed me with the ability to write what's in that crazy head of mine and He's given me a gift that I hadn't fathomed would happen. Thank you God!  
_

_Also, very special thanks to The M.H.T. of R and Last1standing, you both have really encouraged me and I so appreciate all of your kind comments and suggestions! _

_Special thanks to the following:_

_nycwc: you reviewed every chapter and were always very excited for updates which meant so much to me! Thank you so much!_

_peppe1951: You also were faithful to review all of the chapters and had provoking reviews that expressed your thoughts. I really loved that! Thanks!_

_pechika: I think you've read everything I've written in the White Collar Archives and you always leave such nice reviews. Thank you! :D_

_Last1standing: You have encouraged and brought forth my greatest striving to better myself as a writer, but you did it in such a nice way. Thank you a lot. :D_

_And thank you to EVERYONE who favorited, followed and reviewed, you all are amazing and I love your impute!_

_Until next time, До свидания! _(Do svidaniya or Good bye!)


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